Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Some of the Worst... So Far

Last week, a call was put out to Red Wings Nation to design what would be the worst Red Wings Third Jersey imaginable. The responses we got were incredibly bad.

Luckily for everyone involved, that's great news.

Today is February 1st, leaving only 9 more days to enter your submissions. Some of you still are working on your ideas, and some of you are still looking for ideas. So to help you out, and also to showcase some of the terribly good or wonderfully bad designs we've already gotten, here are my 5 picks of the litter so far.

A few side notes before we get to the jerseys, though.

These are in no way meant to be finalists, those will be named later. But that doesn't mean that some of the designs you see here or also over on The Production Line today CAN'T be finalists, either. These are just examples of what we've gotten so far, to show the different ideas and mediums we've all received. You can use them to draw some inspiration, or just enjoy the varying degrees of ugly we're posting on our pages.

Now, without futher ado, my 5 jerseys.

This monstrosity was one of the first and worst submissions I got. It's ugly on so many different levels. First, the color scheme is just harsh on the eyes. It looks like a firework factory explosion mated with a Easter egg dye factory and its offspring went on to mate with a Reebok jersey factory, all of which occurring in Gary Bettman's wet dream. And second, and I'm not sure if this is worse than the colors, is the Sidney Crosby overload. Is it implying that he'd be on the Wings, or is that going to be for every player on the Wings? Either way, it's plainly and simply ugly.

One of the more 'professional' looking types of ugly we've seen, this gets a spot on the page today for it's feasibility. This looks like a jersey we could actually be subjected to if the Wings opted to wear a third jersey. It touches on the classic Winged Wheel design but bastardizes it to the point of ad nauseam. And although I've always wanted to see a touch of black added to Wings jerseys, this design makes it look forced and unnatural, but also like it would be okayed by the NHL.

Another example that overuses the classic Winged Wheel design, this piece puts the wings anywhere they will fit, and then some places they won't. Also touching on the cliche circular, somewhat-related-but-not-really-related logo idea that nearly every other team team likes to use. Oh, and stripes. Lots and lots of stripes. I also really like how it doesn't even mention the team name. That's truly an ugly combination.

Another Paint submission, this one puts the Wings' current jersey into a blender with other third jerseys and pops out a new Wings jersey after 2 minutes on 'puree'. The V striping on the bottom of the jersey, the vertical wording on the sleeves, and yet another circular logo in the middle. The addition of black to the color scheme seems illogical and hackneyed again here, too.

I don't think words can even accurately describe the horror this jersey displays. It touches on the Wings' current jersey, but just like the Penguins', Bruins' and Flames' third jerseys this year, also reminds us the team's past. And, similar to the Blackhawks, Panthers and Predators, it features the ugly head of a creature no one ever wants to see face to face.

Remember, there is still time to get your own personal submissions in. These are just a sampling of the jerseys we've received. Be sure to check out The Production Line for a few more examples, and if you haven't already, get designing. And be sure to share your ideas and opinions in the comments.

Which Ugly 3rd Jersey is the Ugliest?

TRM:

My earliest memory of my entire life was a Steve Yzerman penalty shot way back when, and it just grew since then. Since joining the Marine Corps, I realized that the best way to get insight on the Wings wasn't going to be through mainstream media, it was going to be the fans. After reading about every Wings blog out there religiously, I decided to try one myself. I'll probably never get to the level of the Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangles and the The Production Lines of the blogging community, but this is where I will write about the Red Wings. I hope you enjoy reading the words I type and the personal insights I provide about the Red Wings.